Electrical interfaces such as wall switches are ubiquitous fixtures found in all buildings to control electrical devices, including: lights, appliances, electronic equipment, garbage disposals, furnaces, and whole house fans. These switches are subject to inadvertent usage by adults and children alike, however, the ability to turn an object on or off with a simple flip of a switch makes this fixture particularly appealing for curious toddlers who have finally grown tall enough to reach it. This newfound skill may not only be annoying to the parent but may also pose a safety hazard if the switch is connected to an appliance or other device that should not be accessible to a small child.
In related art, a number of covers, guards, and devices have been presented in an attempt to prevent the inadvertent and/or undesired activation or deactivation of light/electrical switches by small children. Examples of relevant related art devices can be seen in the following patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 9,230,757 for a “Switch Guard for Restricting the Operation of a Rocker Type Electrical Wall Switch” issued Jan. 5, 2016, to D. Rego et al., describes a guard fitted over an electrical rocker wall switch that allows a user to access/operate the switch only with an implement or tool that fits through apertures that are positioned over the switch rocker arms.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,177,734 for a “Protective Switch Cover System” issued Nov. 3, 2015, to M. Todd, describes a protective cover to help block accidental contact, activation and/or access to an electrical switch but does not prevent intentional movement of the switch via a hand-held tool. Freer access is enabled if snap-off tabs are removed. However, if the tabs are removed, then a small child has the same easy access to the switch as an adult.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,933,352 for an “Electric Switch Enclosure” issued Jan. 13, 2015, to P. Jarvinen et al., describes a cover that employs a childproof cap to prevent access to a switch actuator by children. The cap must be removed when access is desired. Once the cap is removed for desired access, the device also requires the longer length of an adult's finger to reach the switch actuator.
U.S. Pat. App. No. 2012/0006577 for a “Device for Securing Household Systems from Young Children” published Jan. 12, 2012, by K. Brantley et al., describes a two-piece structure where a plate is hingedly attached to the cover, which has a child-resistant lock.
U.S. Pat. App. No. 2011/0198200 for a “Childproof Light Switch Guard” published Aug. 18, 2011, by M. Drabik, describes a switch guard that also relies upon the longer length of an adult's finger to reach and actuate the protected switch. However, as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,933,352 cited above, a child can utilize an elongated object (such as a pencil, pen, crayon or stick) to extend his/her reach to access the switch. Furthermore, this design requires the adult to inconveniently reach from above, as well as stoop down to reach from below, to access and operate the switch.
U.S. Pat. No. D514,922 for an “Electrical Switch Cover” issued Feb. 14, 2006, to A. Zahedi et al., describes a system for apparent use with a toggle type electrical switch featuring a box structure fastened to the plate of the switch and extending over the switch so as to block frontal and side access.
U.S. Pat. No. D507,476 for an “Electrical Switch Cover” issued Jul. 19, 2005, to A. Zahedi et al., like U.S. Pat. No. D514,922 cited above, describes a system for apparent use with a rocker type electrical switch featuring a box structure fastened to the plate of the switch and extending over the switch so as to block frontal and side access.
U.S. Pat. App. No. 2003/0057065 for a “Child-Safe Rocker Switch” published Mar. 27, 2003, by S. Hecker, describes a lockable rocker switch apparatus that replaces a standard electrical switch.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,206 for a “Child Resistant Switch Lock” issued Apr. 14, 1998, to M. Souza, describes a switch lock that is arranged to turn a switch on or off only by using a two-handed operation, which is deemed very difficult for a child.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,109,900 for a “Protective Guard for Actuating Devices” issued Nov. 5, 1963, to H. Van Hook, describes an arrangement that utilizes the concept of requiring an adult-sized finger to reach switches or actuation devices.
Related art also exists for protecting electrical wall outlets from undesired access by children, and several can be applied to electrical wall switches. Relevant examples of such related art can be seen in the following patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 7,674,975 for a “Safety Guard Apparatus for an Electrical Outlet” issued Mar. 9, 2010, to N. Atkinson et al., describes a safety guard apparatus with sliding plates for restricting access to the receptacles by a young child. A lock system that requires more force than what a young child is capable of exerting prevents one or more of the cover plates from being opened by the child.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,648,375 for a “Sliding Cover for Electrical Sockets” issued Jan. 19, 2010, to P. Jiang, describes a sliding plate safety device used for covering electrical sockets, using a spring to hold the sliding plate in a prescribed position and requiring a predetermined amount of force to disengage the device.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,669,492 for a “Safety Cover for an Electrical Outlet” issued Dec. 30, 2003, to R. McIlvenna, describes a sliding child safety cover for an electrical outlet whereby access to the outlet requires both side portions of the cover to be depressed inwardly to disengage the latch and strike to gain access to the outlet.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,309,239 for a “Safety Cover for an Electrical Receptacle” issued Oct. 30, 2001, to R. Johnston, describes a safety cover for an electrical receptacle using two half covers, each of which can be slightly compressed to cause projection locks secured into slots in an inner collar about a mounting plate to withdraw, thus releasing each half door.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,198,046 for a “Child Resistant Electrical Receptacle Cover” issued Mar. 6, 2001, to J. Moodie, describes an attachable device to an electric outlet that has a pair of opposing door members hingedly attached to a base plate that provide a child-resistant safety feature by using latches and flange functions that require both doors to be simultaneously unlocked and opened to gain access to the receptacles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,961,336 for an “Electrical Outlet Safety Device” issued Oct. 5, 1999, to B. Finlay, describes a safety device which replaces the standard outlet cover with one that has a removable sliding cover that must be pushed with a degree of spring force to enable the cover to disengage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,675,126 for an “Outlet Cover” issued Oct. 7, 1997, to G. Halvorsen, describes an outlet cover with hinged doors that cover the sockets. A latch mechanism latches the doors shut over the sockets to eliminate an electrical shock hazard potential to children.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,655 for an “Electrical Receptacle Safety Covering” issued Apr. 26, 1988, to D. Ford, describes an outlet cover with a hinged door and spring-biased security to protect children from access to electrical receptacles.
Stricter methods to control the switches from being manipulated can be employed via switch lock devices or covers/guards that are secured via keylocks or external padlocks—such patents date back to the early 1900s. Although very effective in preventing access to a switch by anyone, such arrangements do not allow for frequent or convenient usage of the switch.
Despite the related art that exists to prevent the inadvertent and/or undesired activation or deactivation of light/electrical switches, only a small percentage of these devices can be specifically applied to childproofing of switches (as opposed to simply shielding the switch from accidental actuation or locking out use of the switch altogether). Even fewer of these devices are designed to be effective in preventing access by a small child while remaining easy and, more importantly, convenient for an adult to operate the protected switch on a regular basis. Frequently, these devices utilize unique motions that a child cannot perform (e.g. simultaneous 2-handed operations, complicated movements, demanding adult finger lengths for switch access, etc.) or require specialized tools to open (e.g. a key or unique tool), but such methods are also inconvenient, awkward, or become annoying for the adult to use on a continuous basis. As a result, the use of these devices is often ultimately abandoned.
There is a continuing need for devices that provide new and improved features in the field of the invention. Further, there are no related art devices possessing the unique features and advantages as in the present invention that attempts to balance the potentially conflicting goals of being difficult to operate by small children while still being easy and convenient to use regularly by adults.